One of the very important results of any civic engagement process is the growth of civil society - the taking of responsibility by citizens who learn about needs in their communities and their ability to work along with their local government in addressing them. The recently posted case study by the engagement firm Public Agenda about the Bridgeport, CT school district provides such an example.
As the school district actively solicited the involvement of parents, residents, and business owners in policy discussions, participants went a step further to volunteer for such civil society organizations as tutoring and mentoring groups.
More on the Bridgeport, CT case can be found here.